Web pages and other networked media are often presented in complex color schemes, to enhance the design, functionality or advertising attractiveness of a Web property or other site. For instance, commercial advertising such as banners or Java-coded animations are often presented in brighter or more eye-catching color. Important regions of a Web page, for instance input boxes or specific output fields such as account balance or other financial data lines, may likewise be highlighted using a brighter color, border or backdrop for that area.
However, not every individual viewing a Web page or other media is capable of discerning the color accents on a Web page or other site. Due to pigment sensitivity in the cone clusters of the macula or other physiological and genetic factors of the eye, some people may not be able to see certain ranges of visible light, which is generally in the range of 400 to 700 nm.
Thus, some people may not be able to discern green wavelengths (which is referred to as deutanomalous, or green weak condition) or red wavelengths (protanomalous, red weak condition) very well, or more rarely may be incapable of discerning color at all (monochromasy). These conditions alter the perceived Web content for such persons. A Web site which for example indicates bank account, mutual fund or other data in color coded bar graphs may thus appear pale, indistinct or color-shifted to a person having deficits in the color ranges used to encode those graphs. Reading the page and inputting information into that page may be difficult to that person.
Approximately 0.5% of the female population and 5-8% of the male population are estimated to have color compromised vision of one type or another. Web pages or other media sites that do not take a certain variability in the vision of viewers into account thus may lose the ability to reach a portion of the potential audience. While some standard color tests are known in the optical arts, those tests are manual and generally not designed to be integrated with Web or other networked media. For instance, the charts shown in FIG. 1 reflect the Ishihara test whose hues are selected to detect color deficiencies, including red weak and green weak. Other tests are known.
However, simply knowing the results of an Ishihara or other color sensitivity test does not by itself enable a Web user to correct the color displays for the media they wish to access. More universal and flexible technology for adjusting the color schemes of Web and other media is desirable.